A body area network (BAN), also referred to as a wireless body area network (WBAN) or a body sensor network (BSN), is a wireless network of computing devices that are associated with a particular human body or a particular person. BAN devices may be embedded inside the body, may be implants, may be surface-mounted on the body in a fixed position (i.e., wearable technology), or may be accompanied devices that humans can carry in different positions, in clothes pockets, by hand, or in various bags (e.g., something akin to a mobile phone or other personal communication device). While there is a trend towards the miniaturization of devices, in particular networks consisting of several miniaturized body sensor units (BSUs) together with a single body central unit (BCU), larger-sized smart devices (e.g., tablets and pads) and other accompanied devices can play an important role in terms of acting as a data hub, data gateway, and/or providing a user interface to view and manage BAN applications.
WBAN technology uses wireless personal area network (WPAN) technologies to implement communications on, near, and/or around the human body. The term BAN has come to refer to systems where communication is entirely within, on, and/or in the immediate proximity of a human body. A WBAN system can use WPAN wireless technologies as gateways to reach longer ranges. Through gateway devices, it is possible to connect the wearable devices on the human body to the Internet, so that data from the BAN can be accessed online by any person or device that has a need to review, use, and/or process the BAN data.